Racism has been around a very, very long time; it’s woven into the fabric of our history and part of how we all perceive and interpret the world around us. Although it didn’t always have a name, the bias of one group toward another will always be present; it is a part of our human condition. In To Kill a Mockingbird racism is as visible to us fifty-five years later as an ugly zit on a young face, unblemished by the wrinkles of time; no amount of makeup or pleasantries could cover up that fiery, red pustule that’s visible to everyone except to the face that bares it. The late 50’s and 60’s in the United States the civil rights movement was beginning to catch traction. Harper Lee’s publication of To Kill a Mockingbird couldn’t have come at a better time – published in 1960; at the zenith of the civil rights movement, Harper Lee’s book, written with first person narration, is met with immediate popularity and critical acclaim. Woven into the themes of this tapestry are a young girl’s coming-of-age, local “fixed” justice, the role of the noble savage, perspectives on what is seen and unseen, and the simple life in a somewhat closed, predominantly white community in the South. However, the most striking theme in this tapestry is racism; it’s like a scarlet, almost painful to look at, thread that shadows over and, at times, highlights every aspect of this timeless story. The word negro appears in the pages of this book over fifty-four times, and although it is not always the word used to describe African-Americans in this book, it is, with only a few exceptions, used in the context of nefarious deeds, ill repute, outcasts or the drudges of society. Harper Lee applies it to the pages at times with a smooth stroke and other times with a thick ugly brush; one can almost taste the bitter, disgusting flavor of its usage as it rolls off the pages. In fact it’s even used by Atticus in his defense of Tom Robinson. “You